How to Make a Fish Trap Out of a Bottle

Living on a farm in Brazil, I've gained local in-depth knowledge of food, plants, and traditions, which I share through my articles.

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Last week our lakes were high as we had a lot of water in a short amount of time. This caused the lake to flood up onto the lawn in front of our house and with it came some small fish feeding on what was before unreachable for them.

I took that opportunity to grab the swimming pool net, and start scooping some out. My neighbors across the lake must have seen this feeble attempt at catching small fish because later that day they came over and showed me how to catch them using a plastic bottle.

Using an Exacto knife I passed them, they cut a small opening down the side of an old 2 liter Coca-Cola bottle, about 1.5" x 3". The important part is maintaining the flap. The flap is still attached and pushed inside the bottle. This keeps the majority of the cornmeal (the bait) from floating out and helps to keep the fish in the bottle.

How to make a fish trap | Source

Selecting a Bait for the Fish Trap

The neighbors asked if I had cassava flour, which I didn't, so we used some bread. Because it was nearing the end of the day, they didn't get any fish and I was slightly disillusioned with their proposed fish trap. They told me to start earlier in the day and it would work. I decided to try cornmeal as that is something I already had and always keep here at my home.

I placed the cornmeal in the bottom of the bottle and submerged it on the top step. This is only a few inches deep. The cornmeal billowed around inside the bottle like a well-shaken snowglobe. I decided to go low-tech and put a piece of broken concrete on it to keep the bottle from rolling off the step and into deeper water.

The fish I am after are called Piaba, and there are a lot of them. They are a small and very pretty silver fish with orange on their tail. As pretty as they are, they are a hateful little fish. Whenever I fish, they steal the bait. I don't care how securely I put it on the hook, 9 times out of 10 they take it. Therefore, I have no qualms about removing these from the lake.

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Choosing the Location and Observations about Fish Behavior

My neighbors put the bottle on the step so I guessed it was a good idea to do the same. What I have noticed is at different times of day, the step is in a shadow.

I have a theory that the fish don't want to swim into a dark hole so I position the bottle so the sun shines on it. This way the fish can see the cornmeal or bread inside and are more likely to enter the bottle. After watching for some time, I also can deduce that having the cap towards the wall is better. Once the fish are inside they will swim towards the wider portion which is the bottom of the bottle. This is the section which is behind the flap.

After watching the fish, they do seem to swim in and out of the bottle and treat this more like a feeding station. A hand placed over the opening when pulling the bottle out traps them inside.

It Works! | Source

Piaba | Source

Things Worth Noting

I go out and check the bottle several times a day which is no hardship as it is only 15 feet from the house.

I have a deep bucket which I use to keep the fish in and this I keep in the shade. Several times throughout the day, I empty this and put the fish into the freezer. There are a couple of items you should be aware of regarding using this method.

The fish need oxygen and if they are left too long in a bucket the oxygen will soon become depleted. You'll know this is the case if you see them gasping for air on the surface. Don't let this happen, although they are going to be killed, you don't need to make them suffer.

Don't fill the bucket more than half full with water. Some fish jump and can propel themselves up and out of a bucket and wiggle their way back to the body of water. I learned this the hard way. I had caught about 40 fish and when I went back to check half of them were missing. Their jumping skills will also be evident when you are getting them out of the bucket.

I put a colander in our outside sink and pour the bucket of fish into it. It is a good idea to use the sink strainer as an extra security measure as you don't want any small fish to get stuck in the plughole.

If you want to do this regularly, it's a good idea to feed the area so fish become accustomed to going there for food.

Just recently I noticed a predator called a wolf fish sitting on top of the bottle near the entrance. Not only was this keeping the small fish from coming near the bottle, he might have eaten any trying to escape the bottle. I solved this problem by using a live fish for bait and caught the predator.

Uses of Small Fish

There are many things we could do with these little fish. My neighbors will fry up the larger ones which grow to 3-4 inches. I also have seen them for sale at our local corner shop. I, however, feed them to my cat and one of the dogs, they love them and they're fresh.

If I don't want them jumping out of the cat's food bowl and onto my kitchen floor, I will transfer them into an old ice cream tub and put them in the freezer which kills them humanely. After they are dead but still pliable, I put them in the fridge, until the cat decides she should be fed.

Update on Design

After looking for more inspiration on YouTube, I have found some interesting adjustments or tweaks I can do to my fish trap. We don't consume soft drinks so I need to source some bottles from my neighbors.

My modifications will include drainage holes along the bottom. Not only will this allow the water to drain before I remove the fish, it will also get the air bubbles out when I place it on the step.

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AUTHOR

Mary Wickison

14 months agofrom Brazil

It is quite fun and there are so many you're almost guaranteed to catch some.

I don't care how old I get, being near water is always entertaining for me.

It's really easy to do, and if you have a nearby lake (and a cat) then you should give it a whirl.

Margie

14 months ago

Oh my gosh Mary, I want to come catch fish with you! Thanks for the tips on making the fish trap! I think I could actually do this!

AUTHOR

Mary Wickison

23 months agofrom Brazil

Hi Shauna,

Thanks for your kind words.

We are using our bottle most days and getting fresh fish for the cat, dogs and as bait.

Last week we had someone from the UK here for the day and he couldn't believe how quickly the fish go in the bottle. Those piaba are little devils for stealing my fishing bait so I have no problem catching them en-masse.

Great to hear from you.

Shauna L Bowling

23 months agofrom Central Florida

Fascinating stuff, Mary! You come up with the most interesting articles. You really are a joy to read.

AUTHOR

Mary Wickison

2 years agofrom Brazil

Hi Dora,

Although I do swim in our lake, it seems lately I am working in it cutting grass around the edges or reeds (cattails) from the banks. It is all good exercise. When I think of the amount of time I spent going to the gym riding an exercise bike which didn't go anywhere, I roll my eyes. This is fitness for a real life.

Thanks for your comment.

AUTHOR

Mary Wickison

2 years agofrom Brazil

Hi George,

Thanks for those ideas. Where we live, it is rural and the people here still use many of their traditional ways of fishing. They showed me the bottle method. There isn't anything like a bait shop here because if they catch it, they eat it.

I did Google that gardening system because I had never heard of it, so thank you for that. It is an interesting concept and one which I have spoken about with a Swiss friend I have here. She is adamant that hydroponically grown food is less tasty and less nutritious. I, on the other hand, am willing to try most things. For us, growing vertical is a problem as we are in a region famous for its wind. In fact, we have wind turbines quite close to us. Where they recommend sawdust, we could use coir from coconuts (we have 430 +/- coconut trees). Even the inside fibers of a coconut tree could work as a growing medium.

I read about a company in Australia who are growing tomatoes hydroponically in coir. The brilliant thing about this, it was run by solar panels and the water was achieved using a desalination system. It was completely self-sufficient (no electricity needed). I have another site called small farm ideas which you might want to look at, I am fascinated by the way homesteading has made such a comeback as a lifestyle choice.

Regarding the salmon loaf. I have never seen canned salmon here. Our shopping choices are rather limited in my region, no canned soups, no mushrooms except in a jar, no canned beans. We live quite basic lives. I make bread virtually every day and we don't buy soft drinks or alcohol.

Most westerners would be surprised at how little is needed to live.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

Dora Weithers

2 years agofrom The Caribbean

Mary, you're becoming expert at farm life. This is a cool way to get rid of fish in the swimming pool. So thoughtful of you to share!

Georgeetaylor

2 years ago

obtain a few tilapia/other types of fingerlings. Place them in the lake and catch and grind the piaba and use for feed for the tilapia. Make sure you stock ONLY male tilapia.

place them live in the trenches where you are growing duck weed.

also, use them as feed for the chickens and ducks/swans/geese??

Barter them with the neighbors??

Give some to a group that is helping teach children to catch fish for feeding their individual families.

Place them in the box with the worms you are growing for fishing/selling/bartering/feeding to the chickens.

Sell them as LIVE bait to the local fish bait supply company/store.

Use them as fertilizer in your Mittleider Gardening System. (google that term)

grind/mix them in with the canned salmon when you are making salmon loaf.

Take two/three/four of the 2 liter bottles and cut them so you may glue them together and have a much larger trap. glue a screen into the 1.5 x 3.0 inch slot that is recessed and whose opening is just large enough for the fish to enter. Try making the entrance of the larger bottle on the bottom. Sell/barter these bottle(s) to the locals?

¿Basta?

AUTHOR

Mary Wickison

2 years agofrom Brazil

You never know, you could be camping by a lake and forgotten your fishing pole.

Thanks for reading.

Bill Holland

2 years agofrom Olympia, WA

Well I'll probably never use this great idea, but it's cool to read about. I do like your lifestyle, Mary! Have a great week!

AUTHOR

Mary Wickison

2 years agofrom Brazil

We have helpful neighbors who are eager to help us. They enjoy showing us traditional ways of doing things.

I am going to ramp of my fish extraction with more bottles.

I guess cat food will be off the shopping list. LOL

Great to hear from you.

diogenes

2 years agofrom UK and Mexico

Fascinating: I wish I had known how to do this in the past when I lived near water...and I see any size could be made.

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